NEED- You didn’t think I’d forget to do this now did you? Well, my trusty little WV iPod tells me that I’ve listened to these songs about 40 times, depending on the song. And my iPod doesn’t lie. So, maybe now I’m qualified to comment on it. This is so good! But then if you know me, it wouldn’t surprise you to hear me say that. Agnew isn’t afraid of any musical style is he? This is so different from any of his other works, but it still holds the essential “Agnew” elements: the voice of course *not going to shine on the voice, been there done that*, the truth (every record he does resonates with truth), musical excellence (this sounds so good!!), diversity (if you’ve listened to one Agnew song, that’s what you’ve done, listened to one of them; they’re all different).

JOY UNSPEAKABLE

“He supplies my every need… as I sit and learn at Jesus’ feet” This sounds very much like Matthew 6:33 where Jesus says to seek His kingdom first and everything we need will be given to us. This is what I want, I want to sit a Jesus feet, to learn from Him. Nope, I’m definitely not a Martha. JJ has a great voice, and she does a great job with the background vocals here.

“What kind of joy is this?” You’re right, joy doesn’t depend on our circumstances; it comes from God and lives in even the most difficult days, if we let it. He is everything we need, and yet in His great goodness He brings so many other blessings into our lives. We often fail to recognize them and give thanks. “Just a taste of Your glory”, how true! During this life we get just a taste of what God has for His children. Can you just imagine how wondrous the next stage in eternity will be!? This is something worth getting excited over. Finally, I love the story behind this one, and I’m thankful for it.

WRITTEN ON THE WALL

The first time I listened to this one I thought; “yeah I want to hear from God, but I don’t ever want to read the words He wrote on that wall.” But the message is great, and so is the tune. The music in this one starts out kind of easy, but booms with the first “I wish you still…” *remember now, I’m still musically illiterate, so I’ll do what I can on describing the music.* I love how you always go back to scripture when writing your songs, and this is no exception. If He’d just tell us what He wants from us, if He’d just give us the map we’re to follow, we’d do it, right? That’s what we want, but for some reason that’s not usually how God guides us. Maybe that’s because if He did that, we’d head off on our own, which would preclude the relationship with Him that we so desperately need. Or maybe He doesn’t give us the long term plan because it would overwhelm us, and maybe even paralyze us. God knows what He’s doing. Something else in this one, even if it’s been a while since we’ve heard from Him, He hasn’t forgotten us. He never will. And “the sound of this world’s deafening”, yeah, it is. That’s probably our fault though. We stay too busy.

I NEED NO OTHER

This is beautiful. Once again Todd wakes up an old hymn that the church has left in the dust. “It’s enough for me that Jesus saves; it ends my fear and doubt.” How true, and yet how easy to forget. “It is enough that Jesus died, and that He died for me.” There really isn’t anything else, is there? There’s nothing that compares to this anyway. There’s a majesty in the music on this one, and Agnew’s voice adds gravitas. (I like that word, and it is such a good description of Agnew’s work.) It’s so good to hear a very deep masculine voice singing love songs to and about Jesus. You’ve got to love it!

GIVE ME JESUS

Aw, another love song, and a reference to Spafford’s “It is Well”. But this one picks things up a bit, and I don’t remember who’s doing the BGV on this one (and my liner notes are at work), but she does a great job. “Take the world but give me Jesus”, we get so caught up in what’s going on around us, and the things of the world seem to carry so much weight. It’s easy to forget that this world is not our home, and that our time here is so short compared to all eternity. Thanks be to God that our eternity can be spent with Him. I have to say, I just smile through this whole CD every time I listen to it, and the more I listen, the more I like it.

HIGHER GROUND

I love this!! Really, I do! It was so good to hear it in AZ last winter. You’ve outdone yourself with this one. The music is great, parts of it make me want to dance, and other parts of it make my spirit soar. The vocals are great; the BGVs at the end are amazing! And yes, Agnew does pretty good here too. And the message is so true. One thing it presents is that we can’t do it. We can’t get to where we want to be…”heaven’s table land” (and I like that picture), but we need God to plant our feet there. He needs to lead us to higher ground, if we’re going to get there. Well done Agnew!

TELL ME THE STORY

Yeah, write it on my heart too, and may I never get tired of hearing it. Love the ‘tude in the vocals on this one. This is one to jam to; it’ll have people stompin’ and swaying. And yet it tells the most amazing story of all time. Most of us have heard this story so many times that it sometimes looses its poignancy. May we always be moved by the story of the Christ.

DID YOU MEAN ME?

This is definitely a favorite! Of all the songs on this record, this one speaks to me the most. “Did You mean me?” How could He? What a relevant message to all of us. “I don’t see much of You in this reflection”, me either. And yet, He uses you, and he uses me. That’s a testimony to His greatness and His goodness. The music in the beginning is a bit reminiscent of “Corners”. The music is simple and elegant. And yes, the “Jesus at the felt board” part is touching.

GLORIA

What a beautiful anthem. This is pure worship, and music doesn’t get any better than that. What will that day be like? What will it be like to stand before our King and sing with “saints of every race”? How amazing that we have that to look forward to. Well done Todd.

THE LOVE OF GOD

This is another one of my favorites. It’s hauntingly beautiful, and so simple. (I like simple) The love of God is immeasurable, and this song brings that to light. The old English phrasing is lovely. The vocals are amazing too. (but this isn’t supposed to be about shining on those vocals) “God’s love so sure shall still endure” He’s so patient with us, and His love comes through no matter what life throws at us. “Could we with ink the oceans fill…” It’s incomprehensible. And yet it’s true. Beautiful!

BREAKABLE

And then we get all woke up with this one. That’s a good play on words too. “To save me from my brokenness… You became breakable.” It holds so many scriptural truths, which is one of the things I like about Agnew’s stuff. The music is great in and of itself, but in so many of his songs there are scripture references.

DEEP LOVE

This is another one of my favorites. This one must qualify as a musical masterpiece; it’s so fun! It definitely gets me dancing. The BGVs are spectacular, all of them. But in the midst of all the fun, there’s truth. And when you think it’s done, it just gets better. “That set me free.” That’s some kind of love.

JESUS, THE HOPE OF GLORY

I love how this one came about. You’re right, it sounds like a great old hymn of the church, and if you didn’t know better, that’s what you think it was. But it’s a great new hymn of the church. This one reaches right into the heart and draws the listener to the throne of Grace. Amazing!!

I was a little surprised by this one, because it’s so different from your other records, especially BQ…which I love!
All in all Todd, it’s a job well done. Bravo! (and yes, I’m fully aware that this would get poor marks on writing style, but I don’t care) I hope God continues to write His songs in your heart, and I hope you continue to share them with us. Thank you for this one.

Tess